Tom Larimer announced his retirement Wednesday after 13 years as executive director of the Arkansas Press Association, declaring he’s ready to play some golf and “just do nothing for a while.”
Larimer, 69, told Arkansas Business that he had been considering retirement for several years, and “decided the time was right now.” He leaves the trade association, which serves daily and weekly newspapers throughout the state, on sound footing, an assessment seconded by Byron Tate, president of the APA’s board of directors.
“We appreciate Tom’s many years of service to the association and to our member newspapers,” said Tate, owner of The Sheridan Headlight. “At a time when many state press associations are struggling financially, ours has remained strong and active. Tom played a significant role in helping our association not only survive, but thrive.”
A member of a newspaper family, Larimer took over the APA in 2004 after the retirement of Dennis Schick, who had directed the association for 25 years. “The association is in good shape and has been solid for a long time,” Larimer said. “It’s a good organization that serves its membership well, and will continue to do so.”
A search for Larimer’s replacement has already begun, Tate said. Ashley Wimberley, marketing director for Arkansas Press Services, will be the press association’s interim executive director until a candidate is selected.
Larimer, who said golf and a few other hobbies will keep him occupied, is a Berryville native and Arkansas Tech University graduate who worked in his family’s newspaper business after serving in the Navy. Larimer’s family owned a newspaper in Green Forest (Carroll County) and later in Table Rock, Missouri. After the family sold its newspaper operations, held several newspaper leadership positions, including publisher of the Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; the Great Bend Tribune in Kansas and the City Paper of Nashville, Tennessee.
As director of APA, Larimer was a champion of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, often testifying before state lawmakers and speaking to public forums on the need for public access to government operations.
The APA, a nonprofit, consists of some 110 newspapers in Arkansas and 130 associate members. Arkansas Press Services, a subsidiary, offers advertising services to the public and to member papers.
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